The present invention relates to remote access to imaging nodes and, more particularly, to customized remote access to imaging node front panels.
It is known to provide a client node remote access to an imaging node front panel so that a user of the client node can remotely view the front panel and/or remotely control the imaging node from the client node. However, known schemes for remotely accessing front panels of imaging nodes have presented certain problems. First, in network environments where there are multiple imaging nodes, different imaging nodes may deliver front panel data in different message formats. Some imaging nodes may deliver front panel data in eXtensible Markup Language (XML) files wherein each XML element describes a component of the front panel, while other imaging nodes may deliver front panel data in a Web Services message wherein a Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) message describes components of the front panel, while still other imaging nodes may deliver front panel data in a HyperText Markup Language (HTML) document or even a proprietary format. The disparate message formats can prevent the user of the client node from remotely accessing the front panels of desired imaging nodes in a unified manner, for example, using a Web browser installed on the client node.
Second, the front panel data that are delivered are often optimized for viewing at a screen resolution that is determined by the imaging node. If the screen resolution determined by the imaging node does not match the screen resolution operative on the client node, when rendered on the client node the front panel image may appear distorted and in some cases stray off-screen.
Third, the front panel data that are delivered may not be in the user's preferred language. In geographically dispersed network environments, an imaging node may deliver front panel data to the client node in a language different than the language operative on the client node. In that event, text within the front panel data that the client node is unable to translate may not be understood by the user and in some cases may appear mangled on-screen.